Frustration at the pump and with Congress

Tue, July 08, 2008 - 12:28 PM

In case you haven’t heard, gas prices are high.

And while they were back in their respective home states last week, at least two Republican senators heard an earful about it.

“This was the number one issue on people’s minds,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Cornyn was joined by Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. Both said that high gas prices have become a crisis.

Martinez said Americans feel Congress is doing nothing to help them and that his constituents are asking him if Washington realizes just how bad the problem is.

Congress, the senators said, needs to pass a bipartisan measure before their August break to start down the path toward a long-term energy solutions.

Both said the country needs to look at ways to develop its own oil resources. Martinez said drilling in a national wildlife refuge in northeast Alaska is off the table because Democrats strongly oppose it.

“Let’s find those areas of common ground,” he said.

-- Amy Dominello